Status: 12/19/2022 11:37 a.m
Despite allegations of corruption against South Africa’s President Ramaphosa, the governing party ANC has re-elected him as its leader. In doing so, she also paves the way for a possible second term as President.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa remains chairman of the governing African National Congress (ANC) party despite serious allegations of corruption. At the party congress, he received 2,476 out of 4,384 votes in the party’s internal vote, as the election officer confirmed.
The 70-year-old could also serve as president for a second term if the ANC wins the 2024 elections as expected. The party had previously discussed several days.
allegations by the commission of inquiry
The head of state, who has been in office since 2018, recently faced massive criticism and calls for his resignation. The report of a parliamentary commission of inquiry weighed heavily on him. Accordingly, Ramaphosa is said to have violated both an anti-corruption law and the constitution.
However, his spokesman Vincent Magwenya called the report “clearly flawed”. Independent legal experts also criticized that the report was largely based on unverified information and hearsay. Parliament rejected a request by the opposition to initiate impeachment proceedings last week.
Former Health Minister Zweli Mkhize also ran alongside Ramaphosa in the party leadership election. He received 1897 votes. Ramaphosa had also sent his current challenger on special leave last year due to allegations of corruption.
Ramaphosa denies allegations
The background to the allegations against Ramaphosa is a robbery in which half a million US dollars were allegedly stolen from his private cattle ranch in 2020. The president – also a successful businessman and multi-millionaire – had reported the robbery, but not the disappearance of the money. It is also unclear where the money came from and why it was not disclosed to the tax authorities. Ramaphosa denies any wrongdoing and said the money came from the sale of animals from his farm.
His predecessor Jacob Zuma, who ruled from 2009 to 2018, had to resign because of a corruption scandal. The ANC, which emerged from the former freedom movement, has governed South Africa since the end of the racist apartheid regime in 1994.